[6] The faculty of engineering was originally conceived in 1957 as an extension of the then Waterloo College (now known as Wilfrid Laurier University).

[8] In July 2012, Pearl Sullivan became the first woman to hold the position of dean at the University of Waterloo Engineering.

[10] In 2021, University of Waterloo's faculties of engineering and math partnered with five Ontario faculties of engineering to create the IBET PhD Project, to foster equitable and inclusive research environments to increase the presence of Indigenous and Black academics in STEM.

[15] It also has an on-campus residence living learning community for women in the faculty of engineering that is located at the University of Waterloo's United College.

Options include mechanical, computer, electrical, or control systems for the Mechatronics Engineering program.

Each of Waterloo Engineering's eight academic units (schools and departments) also offers graduate degrees.

Students learn the workings of society and culture, of the principles of physics, of materials and techniques of construction, of the human interaction with the natural and built environment, of historical process, of critical thought and the diverse forms of creative expression.

Students explore areas such as biotechnology, advanced materials, pollution control, alternative energy and other industry applications.

[26] Students in the electrical engineering program learn fundamental skills in electronics, circuit analysis and electromagnetics.

The program offers elective courses in earth sciences, biology, chemistry, ecology and planning.

This program covers subjects such as mathematical optimization, stochastic modelling, process improvement and operations research.

[32] Mechatronics engineering is a multidisciplinary field of study, combining computers with electro-mechanical technology in order to create robotic, wearable and autonomous systems.

Though the program begins with students required to take a spectrum of mandatory courses, it later allows an extremely broad range of electives to enable specialization.

The department is currently chaired by Professor Michael Collins and has 1095 undergraduate students enrolled in total as of fall 2021.

This program applies computer science and engineering principles and practices to the creation, operation, and maintenance of software systems.

[44] The program with the largest graduate enrolment is electrical & computer engineering, with a total of 749 students.

In spring 2018, the school began offering additional fellowships for Canadian and Permanent Resident students entering engineering research programs.

[46] Major awards won by University of Waterloo Engineering graduate students totals over $2M.

Located in Cambridge, Ontario, it offers a fully cooperative professional program and has been rated the greenest architecture curriculum in Canada.

[49] It is the only Canadian school of architecture to have a permanent international facility, which has operated in Rome, Italy since 1979.

MBET alumni include Noah Buchman - the founder of Propel Holdings, an online artificial intelligence fintech platform that provides loans to people with low credit ratings [53] - and Rachel Bartholomew founder of Hyivy Health, the developers of a pelvic health rehabilitation system.

[58] University of Waterloo Engineering hosts Hack the North, Canada's biggest hackathon that was launched in 2014.

It offers online and one-on-one tutoring sessions to high school students of all genders in advanced functions, calculus, chemistry, and physics.

Modelled on the concept of a hackathon, the annual event gives over 2,000 students hands-on learning experiences as they solve open-ended problems.

First-year students receive yellow hard hats during their orientation week symbolizing their adherence of the principles of engineering.

[72] University of Waterloo Engineering hosts speedfriending events that enable students to interact virtually.

Capstone ideas led to the creation of Athos, BufferBox, the Myo Armband and the Pebble smartwatch.

[80] The project is supported by industry partners with the following financial awards provided:[82] The PDEng (Professional Development for Engineering Students) began in January 2005 as a series of courses completed by students in the faculty of engineering during their coop terms.

[83] On May 12, 2010, The Dean of Engineering recommeneded overhauling the program[84] and it was replaced by WatPD-Engineering in the Winter 2011 term.

[87] It is a group that has developed and implemented over 100 case studies since its inception, using knowledge gained by students during their work terms.